Todd Jones
Todd Barton Jones (born April 24, 1968 in Marietta, Georgia) is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was an effective middle reliever for a variety of teams, and he had an up-and-down career as a closer. On September 16, , Jones became the 21st member of the 300-save club and later ended his career as the Detroit Tigers' all time leader in saves. Baseball career Jones graduated from Osborne High School in Marietta, Georgia and attended Jacksonville State University in Alabama. He was drafted by the Houston Astros in the first round of 1989 Major League Baseball Draft and made his major league debut during the season. Initially used mainly as a setup man, Jones soon became a closer for the Astros. His best years came with the Detroit Tigers from – , when he logged 142 saves. On September 27, , Jones threw the last official pitch at Tiger Stadium, striking out Carlos Beltran as the Tigers defeated the Kansas City Royals 8–2. September 27, 1999 Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers Box Score and Play by Play - Baseball-Reference.com While playing for the Colorado Rockies in April , Jones made remarks criticized as anti-gay comments during a discussion of the play Take Me Out. Jones publicly apologized, but did not retract his comments. Jones signed a one-year contract with the Florida Marlins during the offseason. After an injury to incumbent closer Guillermo Mota, Jones took on the role for the first time since being traded to the Minnesota Twins in 2001. He finished the season with a 2.10 ERA and 40 saves. On December 8, 2005, Jones signed a two-year contract to return to the Tigers. In , he also participated in the inaugural World Baseball Classic. Jones was a finesse pitcher and showed good durability. He threw a low-90s fastball as his main pitch, usually aiming for contact. In every year from the strike-shortened season to 2007, he pitched in at least 51 games. On May 21, 2006, he became the Detroit Tigers' all-time leader in saves, passing Mike Henneman. On July 27, 2008, Jones lost the closer role to Fernando Rodney. On September 25, 2008, Jones announced his retirement from Major League Baseball.http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=462319 Personal Jones is a devout Christian, and is known for using Contemporary Christian music when entering from the bullpen. During the 2006 playoffs, he entered to "Last One Standing" by MercyMe. Since 2002, Jones has been writing a weekly column, "The Closer," for The Sporting News and Jones was on the cover of the baseball preview issue with the caption "Don't Tell columnist Todd Jones but (Beware of The Tigers)". Jones also appears every Tuesday on the nationally syndicated talk show "Rick and Bubba". Jones currently resides in Pell City, Alabama with his wife Michelle and his son Alex(born 10-7-94) and daughter Abigail (born 5-22-97). He currently works as an adviser for the local high school and middle school boys baseball teams. He is active in the community as a fundraiser for several charities. Awards and accomplishments * All-Star (2000) * AL Relief Man of the Year (2000) * Led American League in saves (42, 2000) * Along with Juan Rincón, led MLB with 11 relief wins (2004) * Ranks 14th in all-time saves (318) * Made first World Series appearance in second stint with Tigers (2006) * Appeared on the cover of The Sporting News (March/April 2007) See also * List of Major League Baseball saves champions * List of Major League Baseball all-time saves leaders References External links * * Column at SportingNews.com Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:Major League Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:American League All-Stars Category:American League saves champions Category:2006 World Baseball Classic players of the United States Category:Boston Red Sox players Category:Cincinnati Reds players Category:Colorado Rockies players Category:Detroit Tigers players Category:Florida Marlins players Category:Houston Astros players Category:Minnesota Twins players Category:Philadelphia Phillies players Category:People from Marietta, Georgia Category:American sportswriters Category:Auburn Astros players Category:Osceola Astros players Category:Jackson Generals players Category:Tucson Toros players Category:Closers Category:Relief Pitchers Category:Players